Rue
|japanese voice=Kenji Hamada, Rica Matsumoto~Child |species=Human |gender=Male |blood type=B |birthdate=November 14 |deceased state=Alive |age-part1=31 |height-part1=168 cm |weight-part1=64 kg |rank-part1=Jōnin |nature type=Water Release, Wind Release, |ninja registration=015302 |academy age=9 |chunin age=10 |affiliations=Konohagakure |teams=Unnamed ANBU Squad, Team Rue |shippuden=No |media=Anime, Manga }} , renowned as the is a jōnin-level shinobi from Konohagakure and the leader of Team 5. Background Personality Appearance Rue is a dark-skinned man of slightly below-average height, with shoulder-length black dreadlocks and dark blue eyes. He wears the standard Konoha ninja uniform with the sleeves rolled up half way, flak jacket, and short plated gloves. He wears his forehead protector as a bandanna (presumably to keep his hair tame) and carries two tantō strapped to his back, one horizontally to be drawn at the waist and one vertically to be drawn at the shoulder. While an ANBU member, Rue wore the standard uniform which consisted of a simple blue suit with the standard flak jacket, strapped up sandals, and arm guards. Along with this he wore a bandage wrapped up his right arm, while his ANBU tattoo is located on his left shoulder. His mask was fashioned to resemble a bird's face with blue and green markings around the eyes, sides and beak. When unmasked, he wore his forehead protector in standard fashion, as his hair was far shorter and did not obstruct his vision. Abilities Taijutsu As a child, Rue's taijutsu prowess was average at best, preferring to attack at range with ninjutsu. However, since being trained by Mizuchi early in his ANBU career, he has become an extremely adept hand-to-hand combatant. After Naruto Uzumaki became Hokage and had to be replaced as squad captain, Rue proved himself to be a near-even match for Hiroko Kurogane, herself a master of her clan's signature martial art, divining that his superior stamina could allow him to outlast and eventually overpower her, if not for something that made every blow he landed feel like "striking an iron wall." From various sparring matches and missions with Hiroko over the years, his skills have further increased considerably, to the point of being able to defeat multiple enemies, largely by anticipating and evading his opponents' attacks. Rue is also noted to have immense speed, able to intercept an opponent faster than unfocused eyes can follow. His speed allows him to catch opponents off-guard, striking before they can react. Even highly-trained, experienced shinobi are not always capable of reacting to his attacks. His proficiency with the Body Flicker Technique is such that he is able to seamlessly appear with no sign of direction or presence. Rue's reflexes are similarly impressive, able to react near-instantaneously to simultaneous attacks from multiple directions. Genjutsu Ninjutsu Nature Transformation Rue is infamous for his mastery of Water Release. He is able to use powerful water techniques at any time, even in areas that lack a pre-existing water source, either by spewing considerable quantities of water out of his mouth, or by using his chakra to manipulate the water in the air. He can further manipulate water by evaporating or condensing large masses of it at will. In water, he can create pockets of air around parts or all of his body, allowing him to move and stay underwater for considerable periods of time, and can propel himself through the water at great speeds. His skills have been likened with those of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who was revered as the greatest known Water Release manipulator in history, earning him the moniker of the . Rue is also skilled with the use of Wind Release. While he most often combines it with his water techniques to create powerful waves and typhoons, he can also create powerful streams of wind to freeze targets solid or simply decimate them. Rasengan During his tenure as an ANBU, Rue was taught by Naruto (the squad's captain at the time) to use the Rasengan. Unlike Naruto, however, his superior chakra control allows him to create one in a single hand, without the assistance of a clone, and can form the technique rapidly enough to create it in the middle of a palm strike at pointblank range. Kenjutsu From his youth, Rue has been a masterful kenjutsu practitioner. Wielding his two tantō in each hand, his fighting style involves utilizing high-speed acrobatics such as somersaults and leaping strikes, both for attack and defense, allowing him to execute fast, powerful attacks from multiple directions. He can twirl his swords in hand to attack with front or reverse grip strikes at will. Compounding this manner of attack with his formidable speed to twirl around his opponent, he can appear nearly as a blur and constantly cut off his opponent's path of retreat, keeping them off balance. His natural flexibility allows him to make unpredictable movements both to attack and avoid potential counterattacks, retaliating with a sword strike or with taijutsu. This style is formidable enough to overwhelm even the most skillful opponents; Hiroko Kurogane, who regularly spars with Rue, has stated that in a close-quarters confrontation, if Rue is allowed to draw his weapons, the battle will be in his favor whether his opponent is armed or not. Chakra Prowess and Control Like Naruto and Jiraiya before him, Rue naturally possesses massive reserves of exceptionally strong chakra and stamina. As Rue has grown older, his reserves have only increased, allowing him to use many highly advanced and chakra-taxing techniques for considerable periods of time; his Valley of Neptune has been stated by Naruto to be a technique that would kill most normal ninja to generate, let alone maintain. He is also shown to have a high level of chakra control, being able to rapidly create a Rasengan in either hand, even in conjunction with other techniques. Stats Trivia * According to the databook(s): ** Rue's hobbies are walking around the village and hot spring bathing. ** Rue wishes to fight Naruto Uzumaki. ** Rue's favorite foods are napa stir-fry and brown sugar shōchū, while his least favorite is spicy curry. ** Rue has completed 1,367 official missions in total: 192 D-rank, 257 C-rank, 490 B-rank, 367 A-rank, 61 S-rank.